Things have been quiet aboard Sabado, which is why we haven’t had much to share. The refit we are doing in New Zealand is a serious investment of time and money, so we’ve spent our days researching supplies, working on designs, and running the numbers against our budget. Ray has been taking a boat electrics and mechanics class while working tirelessly on a wiring diagram for our new system. I have been preparing all of the paperwork for our entry and extended stay in New Zealand, and studying sewing tutorials to save us some money on upholstery/canvas work. I’ve never sewn anything, but there’s a first time for everything! 

All of our needs are met here in Tonga— a refreshing change. It’s easy and much more affordable to get food, propane, fuel, laundry, etc. The people are friendly, the mooring field is safe, and the weather has been pleasant. Unfortunately, we are allergic to something in the air here… so there’s been lots of sneezing and sniffling. We’ve blown through our allergy medication inventory and are now on our final blister pack of Benadryl. 

We decided to leave Vava’u for Pangai on Sunday, where we’d stage our departure from Tonga to Minerva Reef and then to New Zealand. To prepare, we checked out and ditched our mooring ball on Saturday morning and motored for an hour and a half to a secluded anchorage on the outskirts of the island chain where we would spend the night, putting us in a better position for an early morning departure to Pangai. We cautiously passed a whale watching boat, keeping an eye on a couple of humpbacks they were following. Humpback whales migrate through the area this time of year to give birth, so we wanted to give them plenty of space so as not to disturb them. 

We dropped our anchor around 10AM in 60ft of crystal clear water and celebrated with a “we’re here cheers” of our current favorite— Foster’s lager. 

Afterward, I shimmied into my wetsuit for a dip in the irresistibly blue bay. It’s winter here; we’ve been sleeping under blankets and pulling out our jackets most days, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to swim! I was greeted by a group of skittish squid hanging out by our anchor chain. 

The bottom was all sand, so there wasn’t much else to see, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. We spent the afternoon watching the horizon for whales, and had a few visit us inside the anchorage (~100m from Sabado!) at sunset. 

We could hear them blowing and splashing in the dark as we were cleaning up after dinner, and while I was downstairs brushing my teeth, Ray called my name from the cockpit— a whale was right alongside Sabado! It was close enough that Ray got wet when it blew. I hung over the side of the boat, toothbrush still in hand, trying to get a better look when Ray warned me that the boat could get jostled if the whale decided to nudge us, and “I just need you not to fall overboard, Holly.” 😂 What an incredible moment! The whale slowly swam around our bow, eventually disappearing into the darkness. 

We pulled our anchor just before sunrise the following morning, hoisting our sails and shutting off the engines in the moonlight. We were sailing great: a beam reach right toward our destination. Unfortunately, about three hours in, Ray made the call to turn around. He had checked the latest weather update, which called for 30kn/gusts to 40kn of wind from the west at our destination (which has zero protection from the west), and potential lightning. Our weather router said the best place in Pangai in those conditions would be to tie stern-to against the sea wall. We’d rather avoid it altogether!

So, we turned around, reset our sails, and headed back toward Vava’u. The weather in the South Pacific Convergence Zone is tricky, so I can’t say I was surprised that this appeared seemingly out of nowhere. In our experience, the weather forecasts here have been notoriously unreliable. I remember several instances in French Polynesia where the forecast was 180° and 20kn off! I sat at the helm with Ray and scanned the horizon for whales as we backtracked. This aspect of sailing has always been a challenge for me. I love to plan and feel prepared for the future, but things rarely go as planned on a boat! Being flexible and staying lighthearted rather than letting myself get disappointed is something I’m constantly practicing. 

We ended up departing again two days later. The wind had disappeared, but we decided to motor to Pangai anyway. This move puts us one step closer to New Zealand, and the clock is ticking! We hope to haul out in early August. It was a dreary and sloppy trip, but we were thrilled to anchor in 15ft of sand at our destination. It feels like forever since we’ve been in a nice, shallow anchorage! We took a quick nap, then went ashore to complete our domestic check-in. When we arrived at the dinghy dock, it was underwater… So, we tied off to a tree and walked around until we found the customs office. 

Checking in took 2 minutes. Before heading back to Sabado, we stopped by one of the “Chinese Marts” for some butter, fresh fruit, and a handful of lollipops to pass out to the local kids. Ray cooked me a steak dinner to celebrate my birthday, and we watched a beautiful sunset before crashing from exhaustion! Now, the wait is on— we check the weather multiple times a day and keep our provisions topped up in case a weather window to Minerva Reef appears. We’ve been filming this week and hope to get a new video out for you soon, but we are essentially just sitting in the salon, working on our computers, preparing for our refit. There are so many details to finalize, and we want to be confident that we are choosing the right supplies and installing everything properly. It’s a huge responsibility! Our excitement is building… We can’t wait to share everything we have in store with you. 🙂